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tv   Full Court Press  Current  July 19, 2012 3:00am-6:00am PDT

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[ ♪ theme ♪ ] >> bill: what do you say? good morning everybody. it is thursday, july 19. so good to see you and to welcome to the "full court press" here on current tv. your progressive morning show. of course where we'll bring you up to date, start the day by telling you what's going on here in our nation's capital around the country and around the globe. stunning stunning development in syria yesterday. bomb exploding in one of the
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most secure offices of the presidential palace. and one of the big stories we'll be following here, have you heard, big news on the financial front today the consumer finance protection bureau has cracked down on capital one for forcing credit cards on people who don't need them and can't afford them. elizabeth warren was right. republicans were wrong. we need the consumer finance protection bureau. first, we get the latest, the current news update for today from lisa ferguson out in los angeles. good morning lisa. >> good morning bill. good morning everyone. think mitt romney is releasing anymore of his tax returns today? yeah probably not but that doesn't mean congressional democrats are giving up just yet. in the house michigan rep sandy levin is calling for legislation that would require all presidential candidates to release a full decade of their tax returns. and in the senate, majority whip dick durbin and carl levin are pushing for candidates to
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disclose their accounts in offshore tax havens. not just location. we're talking full amounts here too. that legislation has been in the senate since march. and durbin and levin say the push is not related to this year's campaign but durbin's also admitted he believes romney is the only presidential candidate with a swiss bank account. boehner called the whole issue a side show. so the democrats are not giving up on taxes but they're giving up on one thing and unfortunately for us, that thing is dressage videos. you might remember yesterday we showed you this video put out by the dnc of romney dancing around the issues. >> when you release yours will you follow your father's example? >> maybe. [ laughter ] i don't know how many years i'll release. i'll take a look at what our documents are. >> turns out ann romney was offended since she uses horse training as part of her therapy for multiple sclerosis. the d next c says it is sorry.
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it had no intention of offending ann romney and it will not put out anymore horse videos. more bill press after the break and we're live in chat, current.com/billpress. few others are going. >>it doesn't get anymore real than this. >>occupy! >>we will have class warfare. >>i'm being violated by the health-care system. >>we're patrolling the area looking for guns, drugs, bodies. >>we go in and spend a considerable amount of time getting to know the people and the characters that are actually living these stories. >>the award winning series "vanguard" only on current tv. [ man ] ever year, sophia and i use the points we earn with our citi thankyou card for a relaxing vacation. ♪ ♪ sometimes, we go for a ride in the park. maybe do a little sightseeing. or, get some fresh air. but this summer, we used our thankyou points to just hang out
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does breathing with copd weigh you down? ask your doctor if spiriva can help. [ ♪ theme ♪ ] >> announcer: broadcasting across the nation on your >> announcer: broadcasting across the nation, on your radio and on current tv, this is the "bill press show." >> bill: yep 2/3 of the country almost under drought conditions. but the secretary of agriculture tells me yesterday we're not really thinking about global warming. we just want to get better seeds so we can grow better crops during the drought. oh, my god! good morning everybody. what do you say? it is thursday, july 19. and we've got a lot to talk
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about this morning. that's why it is good to see you, good to have you with us here on the "full court press." we're coming to you live from our nation's capital down the street from the united states capitol building bringing you the news of the day here in washington, d.c. some update on the drought yesterday but no warning at all about whether this might have something to do with climate change and global warming. other parts of the country -- george zimmerman giving a first interview post being accused of second-degree murder appearing on fox news last night for one whole hour and around the globe in syria just a stunning coup on the part of the opposition to assad's government, assassinating three of his top leaders inside the presidential compound of one of the most secure rooms in syria which just
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shows how close president assad and his government is to toppling and falling. we'll cover it all. cover the entire waterfront today and give you a chance to weigh in on the issues of the day by giving us a call at 1-866-55-press. team press here ready to serve you. peter ogborn and dan henning. >> hey hey. >> bill, good morning. >> bill: good morning. mr. strasburg here joining us? >> no. i'm going to the game today. day game. a very rare washington nationals day game at 12:30 this afternoon. i'm duck out of the office and walking down there and going to the game. >> bless you! >> bill: i could feel that sneeze. that is the second time in a week. no, not in a week. >> you did it recently. i never remember you sneezing on the air. >> bill: here i sneezed -- something about this studio. >> something is in the air.
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>> bill: where is my ticket to the game? you're going peter right? >> uh, no, i'm not taking peter to this baseball game. >> nobody asked if you were taking me. >> no. i'm going with the family. my dad and my brother and his wife. it will be good. >> bill: all right. >> they won last night playing the mets. hopefully bring out the broom and complete the sweep today. >> mets aren't bad. nationals are beating real teams. >> bill: i know. >> it is like we're living in a fantasy world. i can't believe it. >> bill: hello to cyprian bowlding. our videographer. bring them home, dan. bring them home. well, he is not known for being shy. not known for being a shrinking vile et. antoine scalia has a new book out. i have interviewed antonin scalia in the past.
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>> he seems like a warm and fuzzy guy. >> bill: he's not warm and fuzzy. he was on cnn with piers morgan. he asked about bush v. gore, yeah he doesn't really have any tolerance at all for people who still complain about that decision. >> that comes up all the time. my usual response is get over it. >> bill: get over it. we five of us decided who the next president is. five of us trampled the constitution, threw the u.s. electoral system out the window, get over it. and by the way don't blame me. blame al gore. >> my court didn't bring the case into the court. it was brought into the courts by al gore. he is the one who wanted courts to decide the question. richard nixon thought that he had lost the election because of chicago, he chose not to bring it into the courts. >> bill: what was wrong with
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al gore thinking the courts might decide a case of law. that statement is to just unbelievable! >> there is a certain level of decorum that you would expect from a supreme court justice. >> bill: not from antonin scalia. >> get over it. that's his defense. get over it! >> bill: get over it. we're in charge. that's what he's saying. what a line-up we've got for you today. major garrett "national journalist" will be here as a "friend of bill" in the next hour. two members of congress, outstanding democrats in congress. eleanor holmes norton representing the district of columbia and peter welsh from vermont will be here in studio with us as well. lots to talk about including fox news. giving a whole hour last night to a murderer. why? but first... >> this is the "full court press." >> on this thursday, other headlines making news, lots of reaction to the new batman film, the dark knight rises on the movie review web site rotten
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tomatoes. it is not all that great. for the first time ever, the site's editors have suspended comments from visitors because of what they were saying about critics who have not given the movie good reviews. the editor in chief says it became too much work to police the comments. they included hate and death threats for the movie critics. the film opens live this weekend. >> bill: i know. so much hullabaloo over a movie review. this is the trivia question. do you know who started the site rotten tomatoes? >> no. >> no. >> bill: friend of mine from san diego by the name of steve peace, former california assemblyman. >> no kidding. >> bill: he started a film company called rotten tomatoes and he made a couple of documentaries and started doing movie reviews. >> it is a great web site. >> bill: i hope he's making lots of money. >> i hope so. >> no surprise about what web site the judd report links to.
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a new study from think progress finds the conservative news aggregator sent 30 million people to conspiracy web sites over the last year. sites that regularly push that president obama was not born in the u.s. and that 9-11 was an inside job. the two main ones being inside daily and info world. >> those are two of the craziest web sites on the internet. >> bill: you can see what's happening here. they all feed off each other right? wnd which by the way carries my column, thank you joe -- >> did i say they were crazy? >> bill: in that sea of madness, there's one bright light. >> good for you. how do you manage? >> bill: you should see the hate mail i get. right now, they're on this thing that joe arpaio has discovered that president obama -- give it up. get over it! >> penn state university students have been camping out at the campus football stadium
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to protect the statue of the late joe paterno. they've been keeping watch around the clock saying if the university comes to remove it, they won't stop them. they're only there to protect it from vandals because earlier this week, an airplane flew over the campus with an advertisement banner reading take the statue down or else we will. >> bill: oh, yeah, this is great. this is a cause to really get excited about. this is a cause to put your life on the line to keep the statue up of a guy who knew that young boys were being molested in his facilities and did nothing about it. oh god. hey, dan, thank you. i gotta tell you. this thing has me most upset this morning is the idea -- here's a guy george zimmerman we haven't talked about him in a long time. i don't know why. he's out on the streets again. on the second bail. even though he lied to the judge the first time. and got out of jail the first
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time on a great big fat lie and was thrown back in jail. now he's out again. and so what does he do last night? here is a guy accused of second-degree murder. here's a guy we know, killed an unarmed young man trayvon martin 17 years old. killed him in cold-blooded murder. here is a man we know who again, lied to the judge in his first hearing. he and his wife lied to the judge on national television. got out of jail. and here's a guy who, in the past, has been accused of beating up a police officer and beating up his wife or girlfriend at the time. and so what does fox news do last night? they make a hero out of this man. they give him one hour on national television. they send sean hannity sean hannity by the way who has made george zimmerman a hero since the day he shot a young black
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man, of course, that's all you need to be a hero to sean hannity and he has talked up and defended george zimmerman and looked for ways to defend george zimmerman from the very beginning. fox news sends him down to seminole county, interview george zimmerman and give him a whole hour on fox news last night. why the hell are they making a hero out of this murderer? 1-866-55-press. and of course, zimmerman used his time just to spout out a whole bunch of lies. some really sick it stuff. hannity asking him -- it is not just lies. it is this phony piety. i pray for him. i pray for his parents. yeah right. he had the audacity to say that
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his killing this kid was part of god's plan. like he was god's agent. remember to be carrying a gun when he was not supposed to be carrying a gun. to target young black guys which he had been doing for at least a year before this particular case. for getting out of his car when he was told not to get out of his car. for pursuing trayvon martin when he was told not to pursue him. for shooting and killing him. it is all part of god's plan and they put that crap on national television last night. yeah, here he is. george zimmerman telling sean hannity his message to trayvon martin's parents. >> i would tell them that, again, i'm sorry. i don't have -- my wife and i don't have any children. i have nephews that i love more than life. i love them more than myself.
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i know when they were born it was a different unique bond and love that i have with them. and i love my children even though they aren't born yet. and i'm sorry that they buried their child. i can't imagine what it must feel like. >> bill: what a phony! i don't believe a word he says! oh yeah, i wonder who coached him for national television. just get on there and show what a good christian are you. yeah, you pray for these people. i love my children even though they're not born yet. there it is. that will get the birthers, right? that will get the tea partiers in this camp. that will get the fox viewers in this camp. what a total fraud. i'm not so mad at him or his attorney die understand why fox news -- would put him on the air. would give him that kind of airtime. and then hannity asks him so how about it, dude? any regrets?
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you want to say -- you want to apologize here and say boy if i had a chance, i would never do that -- i wouldn't do it the same way. i would stay in ply car. maybe i would do what the cops told me to do next time? uh-huh. no regrets on george zimmerman's part? >> is there anything you regret? do you regret getting out of the car to follow trayvon that night? >> no, sir. >> a regret that you had a gun that night. >> no, sir. >> do you feel you wouldn't be here for this interview if you didn't have that gun? >> no, sir. >> you feel you would not be here. >> i feel is all god's plan. for plea to second guess it or judge it -- >> is there anything you might do differently in retrospect now that time has passed a little bit? >> no, sir. >> bill: no. i wouldn't do anything differently. no sir. wouldn't do anything differently. don't regret haves a gun. even though the instructions for neighborhood watch people were
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not to carry a gun. don't regret anything. don't regret killing him. don't regret anything. here's my question again. why, why why why! why would fox news choose, of all the people out there who deserve some national attention for the good that they're doing in this country the great things they're doing the volunteer work or the leadership in a local community why george zimmerman is up on the pedestal on fox news? 1-866-55-press. you tell me. then ask this question, do you think -- do you really think that if a black man had shot and killed a white teenager walking home, do you think they would give that black man an hour on television to tell his story about why it was okay to shoot that unarmed white teenager? you're damn right they wouldn't! 1-866-55-press. >> announcer: this is the "bill press show."
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>> announcer: heard around the country and seen on current tv this is the "bill press show." >> bill: hey, it is 24 minutes after the hour. talking about jeb bush yesterday >> bill: yeah, well, at least we know the full story now behind the killing of trayvon martin. it was god's plan. it was all part of god's plan. that's what george zimmerman says. god sent me out there that night with a gun even though i wasn't supposed to have one. told me to get out of my car even though the police told me otherwise and told me to pursue, chase down this unarmed kid because he happened to be black and george zimmerman didn't think he belonged there. trace him down, shoot him all
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part of god's plan. don't you worry about that. might as well cancel the trial. god's plan. unbelievable! arrogance! what unbelievable bad judgment for fox to put him on an hour of television last night. art is in fayetteville, north carolina. >> caller: i just want to say there was nothing godly divine in what happened to trayvon martin. this was george zimmerman's plan and to cloak his actions under supposedly some divine intervention, i just thought was insulting, not only -- first of all to his parents. can you imagine what his parents must have been feeling when they heard that? >> bill: his father, trayvon martin's father was quoted -- i'm raufly paraphrasing, we obviously believe in a different god. >> caller: that's amazing. i'm sitting here literally still my mouth is still agape from
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last night. i went to bed last night fuming. >> bill: i'm glad you did. i hope most americans would have that reaction, too. again, the audacity of putting him and giving him that prime time on television and then letting him get away with saying something like -- of course, you heard, hannity didn't challenge him because hannity probably thinks it is part of god's plan. shoot, hannity thinks he's god. roy is calling from marion, north carolina. hi roy. >> caller: bill. >> bill: yes. >> caller: two incontrovertible facts in the trayvon martin murder. one, george zimmerman initiated the situation. and then some. more than once. >> bill: yeah. >> caller: two, george zimmerman brought a deadly weapon into the situation against an unarmed youth. >> bill: you're right. >> caller: it seems to me that's a slam dunk for second-degree
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murder. i would have gone for first-degree murder. >> bill: i would hope so. the problem, roy the sticky point is this stand your ground law in florida and how a court will interpret that and whether what he did would be covered by that. which again i think is a phony defense. >> caller: bill, weren't you a divinity student at one time? >> bill: yes sir. >> caller: wow and here in chapel hill, right? >> bill: no, down at chapel hill. different part of the country. i spent some time studying for the roman catholic priesthood. was never ordained. but i gotta tell you so i'm not necessarily the expert here, right. i do have a degree in theology. with my degree in theology, i can tell you categorically, take it from me, it was not part of god's plan for george zimmerman to kill trayvon martin. i don't care what that bozo
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says. >> announcer: this is the "bill press show." >>it's the place where democracy is supposed to be the great equalizer, where your vote is worth just as much as donald trump's. we must save the country. it starts with you.
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>> announcer: on your radio, on tv the "bill press show." new on current tv. >> bill: hey, happy thursday, july 19. 33 minutes after the hour now. "full court press" here on current tv on your local progressive talk radio station. wherever you happen to be in this great land of ours and this hour on sirius x.m. good to be with you today. and we'll get back to your calls about fox news making a hero -- trying to make a hero out of george zimmerman. giving him an hour on television last night to say that shooting
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and killing trayvon martin was all part of god's plan. at least we know how such a horrific thing could happen like god wanted it to happen. that's what george zimmerman told us last night on fox news. why did fox put him on television in the first place? your calls at 1-866-55-press. first time out for another very important issue. you can follow us on twitter at bpshow and you can join our chat room by going to current.com and just sign up and then you can talk all during the show with other people who are listening and watching the show at the same time. headline in "the washington post" yesterday and it was a lead story on all of the evening news last night, crop losses mount as the midwest keeps baking. president obama's agricultural secretary tom vilsack telling us
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that the white house yesterday some 61% of america's landmass is either in very serious or drought conditions. what's going on? we turn to our expert on climate conditions, joe romm. actually think progress's expert on climate change, editor of climate progress at the center for american progress. hey, joe, good morning. >> hey, thanks for having me, bill. >> bill: good to you have back with us. so how serious is this drought? how does it rank? what are we seeing? >> well, they're calling it the dust bowl of 2012. and i have some maps up on client progress. this is very serious. this is certainly the worst drought in about 50 years. it's obviously -- we've always had droughts before but what's
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unique about this and why one can call this sort of a global warming type job is the high temperatures. so that we're seeing -- it always -- we always set record heat when it's in drought because normally when the sun heats the earth there's moisture, water in the earth and some of the heat goes into evaporating the moisture. but once the moisture is all gone then all of the sun's heat goes into baking the land and that's why it turns to cake -- the cracked parched and ultimately dust. that's why you get the droughts and of course that's directly connected to the wildfires because when -- in crop land, the crops suffer. if it is forest land, the forest becomes kindling. when it is hot anything can set a fire and you get these record wildfires. >> bill: what impact is this having on crops and prices at
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the supermarket? >> well, it is starting to -- corn has been at near record levels and this is the key -- this was supposed to be a record corn crop because of the warm weather earlier in the year. farmers planted the biggest area actually since 1937. but now it looks like it's going to -- you know, be one of the smallest in at least five years. and one agriculture economist said this might be a $50 billion event for the economy over the next four quarters. really quite stunning. i don't think people are going to see most of the impact until next year. because you know, we are the breadbasket of the world. so we have pretty big grain stores and obviously we're -- export will be the first thing
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to suffer. our own use we have a lot of extra. so food prices are going to go up. i think people will notice it next year. particularly because of course corn is now in everything. >> bill: yeah, right. >> look on the ingredient list. half the foods on the supermarket shelf and there's corn or corn syrup in it. the real problem is that there are poorer countries like egypt where 40% to 50% of household income goes to food. so if food prices go up, you know 50% there, it is devastating. here the wholesale price of corn is only a small part of -- most of what we pay for when we buy food is the shipping, the retail, you know because we're the breadbasket. the point is yes, people are going to notice it here but you can -- everyone in the audience should know if you notice food prices going up here, then you
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know that for a billion people around the world it is a true, true hardship. >> bill: you can follow joe romm's progress at think progress at climateprogress.org. joe, i have to say congratulations. i know you have a new book coming out next month. language intelligence, lessons on persuasion from jesus shakespeare, lincoln and lady gaga. i can't wait to read that. sounds like a great read. congratulations. when it comes out, we'll talk more about it. so you mentioned climate change. i was at the white house yesterday. tom vilsack agricultural secretary. former governor of iowa came out and talked about the drought. first of all, he was asked this question by sheryl -- i forget her last name -- to tell us about the drought. please listen carefully to the response. >> can you talk a little bit about the drought itself. is it very unusual? did anyone see it coming? is it climate change?
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is there anything we can do to prepare? >> i'm not a scientist so i'm not going to opine as to the cause of this. all we know is that right now there are a lot of farmers and ranchers who are struggling. >> bill: all right so joe -- secretary said that part of that answer, they are working with seed companies to develop better seeds that would produce good crops even during drought years. i gotta tell you given a chance to say yeah, there's something really going on here, his answer is i'm not a scientist. missed the moment i think. >> it is disappointing particularly because okay, he's not a scientist but i think the federal government has a lot of scientists working for it and look i think -- because the extreme weather is now finally becoming more extreme than we've
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ever seen before, you know, we've known for a long while that global warming because it warms the planet would add temperature on top of normal heat waves and make them hotter and hotter heat waves and hotter temperatures dry up soil so you get longer droughts and it melts snow earlier so you get earlier snow melt so the summertime, there's no snowcap to provide water. so you're getting the droughts and wildfires and heat waves. we've known this for awhile. finally, unfortunately the extreme weather is becoming noticeable. the key point is the media is going to be talking about this. we need to move away from the question did global warming cause this. that's not -- what global warming does, it is like a baseball player on steroids. you can't say that home run was due to steroids. but if you see 70 home runs in a season -- >> bill: i want to interrupt you just because i was disappointed in that answer and
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i followed through this is a little long -- >> you were there i'm sorry. >> bill: i pushed him right to give him another opportunity to say yeah, we know there's a long-range problem here. here we go. >> is there any long-range -- with the wildfires and the heat wave and rising sea levels and now this drought, is that there's something more going on here than one year of a bad crop and you need more than better seeds? >> our focus, to be honest with you in a situation like this is on the near-term and the immediate because there's a lot of pressure on these producers you know. you take the dairy industry, for example. we've lost nearly half of our dairy producers in the last ten years. they were just getting back to a place -- >> bill: again, joe, i get it. i get that they have a short-term problem and most immediate task at hand is to help the farmers.
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with corn and soybean and the livestock. but i wanted him to say yeah and congress has got to do something about capping trade or whatever. global warming. we have to get serious about it. what's the phrase? teachable moment, right? this is one, if i ever saw one. >> yeah, well let me say that a couple of things. i'll say in vilsack's defense as you know, people get appointed secretary of different agencies with different expertises. so he's not the guy who was going to talk about climate change, you know. if you ask secretary hsu that question secretary of energy steven hsu or the head of noaa, you know, were there or if the advisor were there people are
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comfortable talking about what they're expert on. now that's my -- making an exception for them. but i will say and i make this point in the book language intelligence. the fact is this administration has basically sent out the word "we don't want to talk about climate change." >> bill: yeah. >> there's a whole -- we really need to have a long conversation as to how they got this so wrong and how they could possibly have come to the view that it isn't good politics to talk about the biggest problem facing us. most americans understand it is happening and it is growing every day because of the extreme weather. yet the white house communication shop is totally wrong about this but they have muzzled many people in the administration. >> bill: there you go. all right, joe. i'm glad to hear it from you. we see it and boy again if they've ever been given a great opportunity to talk about it,
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here it is. joe, great to have you with us this morning. thank you so much for your time and good work as always. joe romm is ed der of climate progress, part of the center for american progress. follow their good work and find out more about the drought conditions at climate progress.org. when we come back, we'll jump back into the george zimmerman interview last night on fox news with sean hannity. making a hero out of this murderer? >> announcer: this is the "bill press show." or, get some fresh air. but this summer, we used our thankyou points [ man ] ever year, sophia and i
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use the points we earn with our citi thankyou card for a relaxing vacation. ♪ ♪ sometimes, we go for a ride in the park. maybe do a little sightseeing. or, get some fresh air. but this summer, we used our thankyou points to just hang out with a few friends in london. [ male announcer ] the citi thankyou visa card. redeem the points you've earned to travel with no restrictions. rewarding you, every step of the way. every day, an average of 5,000 people switch from cascade to finish dishwasher detergent. that's about 150,000 a month, over 2 million people so far. with finish quantum you get incredibly clean sparkling dishes without having to rinse them first. now see for yourself why millions have switched to finish. join the finish revolution. and now you can try finish quantum for free. visit us on facebook.
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>> a new ad we will play for you when we come back here with lynn sweet, chicago sun times methderr death shiner from row call and bill cress part full-court press. you are welcome to join our conversation at 866-55-press. we will be right back. >> this is the bill press show. >> announcer: radio meets >> announcer: this is the "bill press show," live on your radio
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and current tv. >> bill: all right now 12 minutes before the top of the hour. in fact, your calls about fox news and george zimmerman. first, a little helpful reminder about one thing you might want to consider if you're having a hard time at the end of the month and need a little extra cash. check out incomeathome.com. you've heard me talk about them before. america's leading work from home business. and this is something you can do. no matter your age education or experience. you can literally earn money from your own kitchen table using your own laptop. if you've got a little extra time and with the help of the training that you'll get from incomeathome.com. so if you're sick of living paycheck to paycheck and worried about job security or retirement, your dream is to earn some extra income from home, part-time or full time, check out incomeathome.com. they're adding my listeners in record numbers even giving away $1,000 to somebody today just for checking them out.
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why not. get in line. visit incomeathome.com. that's incomeathome.com. sean hannity last night trying to make a hero -- he's been doing it from the very beginning of this case. but giving george zimmerman an hour last night on fox news. to tell the world that it was all part of god's plan for him to go out and shoot and kill trayvon martin! now we know why it happened. mark from atlanta georgia what do you say? >> caller: hey bill, i got two points to make. if that was a black man that killed a white boy, he would already have been electrocuted by now. and my other point -- >> bill: he certainly would not be given an hour on fox news. right? >> caller: you know, hannity went and got george zimmerman. so all the media can forget about romney. >> bill: well that too. right. talk about changing the subject
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right? go ahead mark. >> caller: just like a fisherman with a new lure. he's waiting for the media to bite and take advantage of this. >> bill: you got it. what's your second point? >> caller: the second point is that -- the second point was about zimmerman and if his name was george jefferson, he would already be locked up. he would have been found guilty and he would already have been electrocuted by now. >> bill: it certainly would have been handled differently. i couldn't agree with you more. eddie -- i appreciate the call. eddie is in knoxville tennessee. good morning. >> caller: good morning. >> bill: what's going on down there? >> caller: not a whole lot right now. i've actually got a question. >> bill: yeah. >> caller: you have a problem with zimmerman being on any show. but the martin family has been on at least four shows that i know of. >> bill: mm-hmm. they lost their son. >> caller: i understand that. it is horrible. >> bill: george zimmerman killed him. >> caller: but he's not been convicted of murder.
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>> bill: he's admitted -- we know he murdered him. there is no doubt. >> caller: we know he shot and killed him. he's not been convicted. >> bill: we know he murdered him. he lied to the judge. we know he was accused of assault against a police officer and assault against his former girlfriend. why does this -- why does this man -- why does this man -- no, no no, why does this man deserve to be put on a pedestal and given an hour on television as if he's a role model for other americans? >> caller: i'm a conceal carry permit holder. >> bill: i don't care. >> caller: there are a lot of holes in his story but until he's convicted the man is innocent. >> bill: there are a lot of people -- eddie here is -- you're avoiding the question. eddie, you're avoiding the question. you're talking over me. why, of all the people who are in jail right now he's not even in jail. of all of the people who have been indicted and charged who
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are out there now for serious serious crimes, why george zimmerman? why not -- why not somebody else? >> caller: because this is the case that's in the media right now. if it had been another case, it would have been someone else. but if they're going to let the martins have their time on -- >> bill: oh, no, get out of here. get out of here! get out of here. i don't want to hear it. i don't want to hear the false equivalency between these two -- the parents who lost their son unarmed and say it is just -- they're just as good as or he's just as good as they are. that is such bs! >> get off my phone! >> bill: how dare you equate those two. jesus! god, get out of here. >> announcer: this is the "bill press show."
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the country today, there are 450,000 fewer teachers than there were two years ago! that's the impact of these cuts. been. at the local level, among the
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we know that back to school time means back to school germs. that's why lysol partners with schools all across the country providing resources designed to help teach healthy habits. so make sure you add lysol no touch hand soap and lysol wipes to your "back to school" list. that way, the healthy habits they learn in school will reinforce the good habits you've already taught them at home. to learn more, visit lysol.com/schools. lysol. mission for health. v
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pective. >>i'm a slutty bob hope. the troops love me. >>only on current tv. [ ♪ theme ♪ ]
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>> announcer: this is the "bill press show." >> announcer: this is the "bill press show." >> bill: all right. if you're in the sunshine state get ready for air force i. today president obama leaving the white house about 10:45 this morning on his way down -- first of all to jacksonville, florida where he has two campaign events. then up to west palm beach florida, where two campaign events this evening in west palm beach, he'll spend the night in the sunshine state and then tomorrow on to orlando and ft. myers, i believe, for a couple more campaign events at each stop. president obama on the road making sure he gets that second term which we all want him to get as well. when we come back, we'll be
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talking with eleanor holmes norton. rich, chewy caramel rolled up in smooth milk chocolate. don't forget about that payroll meeting. rolo.get your smooth on. now in minis.
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[ ♪ theme ♪ ] >> bill: good morning and welcome to the "full court press" this thursday, july 19. good to see you today. here on current tv. where we bring you the news of the day and take your calls at 1-866-55-press. the "full court press," the only progressive morning show anywhere on cable news here in the united states of america. so it is good to you have with us. we've got lots to talk about including this. big news on the financial front. the consumer finance protection bureau announcing its first
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action yesterday cracking down on capital one for forcing credit cards on consumers who don't need them, don't want them and can't afford them. you know what that means? elizabeth warren was right and republicans were wrong to oppose this agency. we'll tell you all about it. and a whole lot more here on today's "full court press." first we get the latest current news update today from lisa ferguson in los angeles. good morning lisa! >> hi, bill. good morning everyone. an interesting point we want to bring up with mitt romney's taxes. his main defense for not releasing anymore returns is that he's already put out two years. one for 2012 and an estimate for 2011. the catch turns out he actually hasn't released all of his 2010 documents. that discovery is thanks to the "huffington post." we know by now romney does have a swiss bank account. here is a fun fact. people with foreign accounts are required to file a separate
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document with the i.r.s. giving details on their overseas money. you guessed it. romney never released that form. tax experts say he likely did file the form since punishment for not doing so is pretty severe which raises more questions as to why he won't release it. swiss bank accounts are really only useful in cheating the tax code if you're using them illegally or using them to shield your financial activity. they're not saying that's what romney is doing. we're just pointing it out. let's keep talking money for a second. this time, campaign money. we reported earlier today the republican tack american crossroads is beginning an $8.8 million ad by attacking romney. big money isn't necessarily a good thing when it comes to elections especially when a lot of it is coming from anonymous donors. experts say $6 billion will be spent during this year's election. that is enough money to give
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almost every single person in the world each $1. we are live in chat. hope to see you there current.com/billpress. >>it's the place where democracy is supposed to be the great equalizer, where your vote is worth just as much as donald trump's. we must save the country. it starts with you.
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we know that back to school time means back to school germs. that's why lysol partners with schools all across the country providing resources designed to help teach healthy habits. so make sure you add lysol no touch hand soap and lysol wipes to your "back to school" list. that way, the healthy habits they learn in school will reinforce the good habits you've already taught them at home. to learn more, visit lysol.com/schools. lysol. mission for health.
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does breathing with copd weigh you down? ask your doctor if spiriva can help. [ ♪ theme ♪ ] >> announcer: broadcasting across the nation on your radio >> announcer: broadcasting across the nation on your radio and on current tv, this is the "bill press show." >> bill: hello everybody. great to see you today and welcome to the "full court press." our third hour together on this thursday july 19. and here's where we -- town hall meeting every day where we tackle and tell you what's going on here in our nation's capital around the country around the globe talking about the issues of the day and of course, give you a chance to weigh in at 1-866-55-press.
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that's our toll free number. and we're here as we are every day with our entire team. peter ogborn and dan henning. our videographer cyprian bowlding. we're very pleased to welcome back to the studio, a good friend of ours, a neighbor here on capitol hill in washington d.c. representing the residents of the district of columbia in the united states congress, congresswoman eleanor holmes norton. congresswoman, good to see you this morning. >> always good to be on with a neighbor. >> bill: thank you. i want to get local here for a second before we move on to some of the -- what's happening or not happening in the congress on the national level. there are a couple of people close to mayor vincent gray who have been found guilty of some campaign violations. several members of the district council have called on the mayor to step down, figuring that he eventually is going to be caught up in this mess. are you one of those who think
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the mayor should resign? >> i issued a statement last week. when the latest revelations came out, bill, essentially saying that although the mayor was a good friend whom i had always known to have high professional and ethical standards he had an obligation to clear this matter up quickly. now we see a report in this morning's post that the majority of citizens here already want him to step down. so he has got to clear it up because he's losing the confidence -- >> bill: he doesn't have much time to clear it up. >> no, he doesn't. i've talked with him. i've indicated to him i think that his lawyers ought to sit down with the u.s. attorney and say whatever you've got, just come on for the sake of the city. but if not the mayor has got to say something because for a public official, the ordinary
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protections just do not pertain. you can't say let's wait to see -- you will see when it all comes out. that would be true of you, bill press. it would not be true for me just because i'm a public figure and an elected figure. and i think that's what the mayor is encountering now. and it's difficult to advise him because no one really knows what happened. what we do know is he was surrounded by people who were in it for themselves. they haven't been able to touch him yet. but i'm sure he wouldn't want to wait until they did and if they're not going to do so, then, of course, they've got to hear from him. >> bill: so you're not yet ready to say it's important -- to call on him to resign but you're saying let's get your stuff out. >> i wanted to give him the opportunity first to clear the air.
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before indicating that he should step down. most of us who have spent our lives as lawyers and have seen such premature calls are reluctant to say so without any evidence whatsoever. what we do have is what no public official can afford. that is -- that the people who surround him appear to be ill chosen or in this case, when you're in the midst of a campaign you put together very quickly because you decided to run so late, people who clam on to the campaign and run away with your campaign which occurred and he's got -- particularly given this poll, i think he's got to come forward just as i indicated last week. >> bill: one of the problems of course with any mayor or any elected official here in the district of columbia is that we're still treated as a colony. we are not a state.
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we're not a country. and so we're a colony. and that -- and the real rulers of the district of columbia, right down to day to day decisions are still the congress -- >> well not day to day decisions. that's why the mayor i think has to come forward. the day-to-day decisions really are made by the mayor and by the city council. the congress comes in when it has an issue. usually an ideological issue and then it uses the district and its day to day decisions. >> bill: as they're doing now. >> i'm glad you raise that, bill because it is interesting. there is a big controversy in the congress today and it has nothing to do with the issues surrounding the mayor. it has to do with ideological issues surrounding the republicans and if anything, i'm
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grateful to my republican colleagues that they've stayed away from this. in fact, i've been able to get some bills very difficult bills, even during this controversy. and it is important to see what it is that they really care about as yesterday's mark up indicated. >> bill: what's the issue now that has the republicans saying we've got to intervene in the district of columbia to make sure that this doesn't happen? >> well, bill, we've become the poster child for the anti-choice in the united states. they have a bill marked up yesterday that would say that if you happen to live in the district of columbia and be a woman, cue have an abortion here after 20 weeks. bill, if you lived anywhere else in the united states, roe v. wade which allows abortions beyond that would apply. first of all, how can you rip
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off any american citizens and say they're not entitled to the same constitutional rights? as others? well i think the first question, those who are pro-choice ought to ask is if there are -- some evidence that we ought to forbid abortions after 20 weeks, he is lerply want -- we certainly want to do it nationwide. why would we want to pick out any one jurisdiction, particularly when it looks like that's not constitutional. it is part of a propaganda campaign there. marching through the states. >> bill: is there such evidence? >> they claim with -- fetuses can feel pain. of course these are people who believe in personhood that from the moment of conception there is life. that is a very controversial matter. so controversial that there's no period that says there's
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anything to it. what can only be called bogus science. even assuming that is the case, let's assume that is the case and it is not then why would you, if you think there is really fetal pain, want only to stop fetal pain in the district of columbia. you want to do it because just as you said we're treated as a colony, let's use the district for propaganda purposes then having already gotten conservative states to pass this bill, we can trot through the rest of the states with a phony federal -- because it will never pass the senate -- saying the federal government believes this is the case. by the way the person who was the sponsor of this bill who also -- by the way i don't even know him. denied me the right to testify at a may hearing on the bill. his name is trent franks, one of the questions we raised was would it apply in the district
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of columbia, not arizona. they got arizona to introduce such a bill. the bill has now been taken to court. that's the same bill. >> bill: i want to come back to what you just said. you represent the district of columbia in the united states congress and there is a bill which impacts directly and imposes a restriction on the district of columbia. >> only the district of columbia. >> bill: only the district of columbia. are you not allowed to testify on the bill. >> correct. >> bill: how could john boehner, let alone the chairman, permit that? >> in fact, most committee chairs don't. republicans across -- allow members to testify. he claimed that the rules were that the democrats were entitled to one witness they already had a witness, a woman by the way who would have been denied an abortion even though she was carrying a fetus with half a
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brain who would have been born and had constant seizures if it had in fact, lived of course the democrats called that but as a congressional courtesy, if it affects you always. weigh those rules. >> bill: the principle or the practice was -- >> the practice of courtesy and let's face it. decency. >> bill: except when it comes to the district of columbia. you were able to testify yesterday? >> no, sir. when i went to the may hearing to add insult to injury, chairman franks, chairman of the subcommittee and sponsor of the bill said -- explained himself. by the way explained himself yesterday because he had been attacked over and over again for silencing me when it applies only to me and my constituents. he said at the hearing that the congresswoman could come and sit
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on the dais but she could ask no questions. now what self-respecting member of congress would have accepted that invitation? >> bill: it is insulting to the residents. >> it comes pretty close. >> bill: it is personally insulting to you. this bill will pass the subcommittee? >> it passed if yesterday. let's face it. it was very interesting. democrats put on a spirited defense of the district and of women because this is really -- aimed at women across the united states. the republicans, except for a couple, sat silently and voted of course on the other side. but they did not come forward with their own answers. to show you one reason why not democrats, representative from florida had an amendment that would have altered one part of the bill that said that any health provider who had any contact with a woman at any
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point in her life could come forward with an injunction to stop her from having an abortion. this would have been -- this could have been -- i don't know, your school nurse or maybe your pediatrician. to say that all of this violates roe v. wade is not enough. what americans should also be angered about is that any americans could be treated in this way and that the district of columbia would have to go through a process of seeing -- picked out in this way or should i say picked on in this way. >> bill: congresswoman eleanor holmes norton representing the district of columbia here in our studio this morning. i want to ask you about -- by the way, if you want to comment on what's happening here with the district of columbia and the congress 1-866-55-press. president obama, i was there a
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couple of weeks ago at the white house where he said here's what i want congress to do. let's give every american 98% of americans who make less -- who make $250,000 or less a year, let's give them a tax cut last year. those lucky enough to make more than that, will pay what they used to pay under the bill clinton -- sounds fair to me. is it going to happen? >> well, what the president did was brilliant. he said let's right now right now give americans who make less than $250,000 a tax cut. that would be an immediate boom to our economy. >> bill: it would. pump that money out there right? >> this calls to question on the republicans because essentially if you're game for that, you're holding up a tax cut for 98% of the american people, holding them hostage for the 2% who earn above that amount of money.
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by the way it is brilliant. it is absolutely needed because the economy is suffering from what's happening all around the world today. it is the boost americans want and need and by the way, it also shows this man as president knows how to run a campaign because he's calling the republicans on their weakest parts and points at a time when the economy is faltering and he won't and he shouldn't let them blame that entirely on him when they are blocking anything that could begin to relieve the misery that many americans are still encountering. >> bill: he has said -- what i thought was great about his statement was let's -- we all agree on this, right? everybody says they want tax cuts for the middle class. so since we all agree on it, let's just do this and then let's take that little one where we disagree, the 2% and let the
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election decide that, right on november 6th right? >> bingo. >> bill: right. who says he's not a crappy politician. we continue our conversation. 1-866-55-press is our toll free number. on the "full court press" this thursday july 19th. we'll be right back. it's your turn. >>i know you're going to want to weigh in on these issues. >>connect with "full court press with bill press" and on twitter at bpshow. >>i believe people are hungry for it. building up to this. >>bill shares his views, now it's your turn. >>i know you're going to want to weigh in on these issues. >>connect with "full court press with bill press" at facebook.com/billpressshow and on twitter at bpshow. >>i believe people are hungry for it.
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trailblazers, the truth seekers. we are the idea no one wants to hear until it grabs you and won't let go. we push, we prod until the truth reveals itself. we are fearless, independent trendsetters, problem solvers, and above all, we are politically direct. the young turks with cenk uygur at 7, viewpoint with eliot spitzer at 8, the war room with jennifer granholm at 9, the gavin newsom show fridays at 11. and there's only one place you'll find us: weeknights on current tv. >> announcer: this is the "bill >> announcer: this is the "full court press." the "bill press show." live on your radio and on current tv.
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>> bill: 25 minutes after the hour. it is the "full court press." and congresswoman eleanor holmes norton representing the district of columbia here in studio with us. congresswoman, we were just talking about these middle class tax cuts, the president wanting to extend the tax cuts, in fact, he's given -- i don't know how many tax cuts for the middle class since he's been president. i've heard him use that term. speaker boehner yesterday was asked about the president trying to do something for middle class americans. this was his response. >> don't give a damn about middle class americans who are out there looking for work. he's trying to distract the american people in order to win his own re-election. >> bill: he doesn't give a damn about middle class americans. >> while the republicans who have made every effort they can to get the ryan budget passed,
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worse than last year's ryan budget -- >> bill: killed every jobs bill that's come up. >> the only thing that approaches the jobs bill is one that boehner had to contort the process to get out of and that was the surface transportation bill. it is because of barbara boxer that it got done because it is her bill -- i was on the conference committee. that's the closest thing to a jobs bill we're going to get. when we could have had jobs bill after jobs bill for the last two years of the 112th congress. >> bill: he says the president is trying to distract us. he's refer fog the president -- referring to the president and the president's campaign suggest youing mitt romney should release more than one year or two years of his tax returns. you're a public official. do you think that politicians have a duty to --
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>> presidential candidates -- every year i release -- not my entire tax return but i release what i've made, what the investments were, who paid me, for example. i am also an adjunct professor i was a full time professor at georgetown law school. list my income and all of my investments and where they come from. that's fairly rare. if you are a presidential candidate and you have what now we know to be offshore investments in the cayman islands and in sweden and in other tax sheltering countries you have an even greater obligation to release your tax forms because now a real presumption has been raised, a real question has been raised. >> bill: we have to leave it right there. never have enough time to get into all of the issues.
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thanks for coming in and thank you for all of the good work you're doing. >> announcer: this is the "bill press show." >>we talk a lot about the influence of money in politics. it is the defining issue of this era. the candidate with the most money, does win. this is a national crisis.
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>> announcer: radio meets television, the "bill press show." now on current tv. >> bill: 33 minutes after the hour on a thursday. july 19. the "full court press." good to have you with us today and have you heard? there is a drought going on. a very serious drought going on. want to talk to you about that. don't forget check out our chat room. it is always fun. we get a lot of good comments
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from people at current.com on the chat room. you can follow us on twitter at bpshow. follow us all day on twitter at bpshow. back to the drought. yesterday in the briefing room, jay carney came in with agricultural secretary tom vilsack. good man. former governor of iowa. he started out by telling us how serious this drought is. if started out -- it started out looking like it was going to be the biggest corn crop yield in the nation's history because of warm weather in the beginning and some new seeds that were available, they were able to plant the bigger corn crop than ever before. now along comes the drought. today the secretary said that i think 61% of the country is in serious drought conditions.
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77% of the corn crop is directly affected by the drought. a lot of it just wiped out or very seriously diminished. and 78% of the soybean crop. he also said that it means americans will see higher prices and there are so many products that depend on corn. so much livestock that depends on corn. higher prices. though said probably not until the beginning of 2013 and they're watching out for anybody who might raise prices like immediately saying this is because of the drought because that should not be the case and that's probably fraudulent. price fixing at the time. and the department is going to be looking out for cases like that. but then he got the bigger question and one that we've talked about here and that's what i wanted to let you know about. about whether or not this has anything to do with global
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warming. the first question came from a reporter named sheryl, i don't remember her last name -- i don't know that i know her last name -- who asked the broader dimensions of this drought. so to me, i was waiting to hear the white house. i was waiting to hear the obama administration say hey see what's going on around the country here, don't you? and look at this drought. we better do something about global warming. they missed an opportunity yesterday so first here is sheryl's question. >> can you talk a little bit about the drought itself? is it very unusual? did anyone see it coming? it is from climate change? is there anything you can do to prepare? >> i'm not a scientist so i'm not going to opine as to the cause of this. all we know is that right now there are a lot of farmers and ranchers who are struggling. >> bill: and the secretary
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added right there one thing they are doing is they're working, he said with seed companies to develop better seeds to provide good crops even during drought conditions. but you know, i have to tell you, i was really disappointed to hear that. i'm sure a lot of you will be, too. look, what a cop-out. what a cop-out. does this have anything to do with global warming? i'm not a scientist so i'm not going to give you my opinion. okay, he's not a scientist. but he is the secretary of agriculture. and he's got scientistss who work for him. he must talk to scientists all the time. scientists have said that not necessarily 100 degree temperature yesterday in washington, d.c. was caused by global warming but there's something going on here that's not just -- happens to be a fluke, right? and he could have said well, i'm not a scientist right now. my priority is taking care of our farmers who need some help
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today but we have to recognize something else is going on that we really ought to be concerned about and congress ought to get busy and do something about global warming. no but he didn't say that. so i had a chance and i followed through with the secretary saying come on. when you add all of these things together maybe there's something bigger going on that we ought to be concerned about. is anybody at the department looking at that long-range question? here's our exchange. >> is there any long-range thinking at the department that you add the wildfires and the heat wave and rising sea levels and now this drought that there's something more going on here than one year of a bad crop and you know, you need more than better seeds? maybe climate change? >> our focus to be honest with you in a situation like this is on the near term and the immediate because there is a lot of pressure on these producers. you take the dairy industry, for
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example, we've lost nearly half of our dairy producers in the last ten years. they were just getting back to a place where there was profitability and now they're faced with serious issues and again, no assistance in terms of disaster assistance. that's our near-term focus. long-term, we're engaged in research projects. we're working with seed companies, you know. don't discount the capacity of the seed companies the technologies do make a difference. >> bill: well again, i don't know about you but what the hell right? there's something going on here. you cannot ignore -- let me show you -- here it is. i clipped this from "the washington post" yesterday. here is the latest evidence. ice split from greenland glacier is twice the size of manhattan! they've never seen a big ice
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chunk that -- an ice chunk that big split from greenland. you look all around. the sea level on the atlantic seaboard. in my column this week, maybe some of you have seen it. it is on our web site at billpressshow.com is this heat wave telling us something. i talk about sea levels on the atlantic coast have risen higher than anywhere else on the globe. 4.8 inches higher over the last decade in norfolk virginia, for example. so when you add that and the wildfires and the heat wave and the storm activity and you add that to the drought there's something going on that the white house ought to be talking about. there is a definite connection to global warming that the white house has an opportunity to say this is why we need congress to act on capping trade. instead, the agricultural secretary says we're developing better seeds. that is not the answer.
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understand helping farmers today, that's got to be the first priority. but at the same time they have to be thinking long rage and it is disappointing they're either not thinking about it or not willing to talk about it. remember during the 2008 campaign both barack obama and john mccain said global warming is real. it is man-made. and we've got to do something about it. and we will make it a priority. i've got to say president obama has not made it a priority. and that was proven again yesterday. marla is calling from out in michigan. >> caller: hi, bill. the biggest detriment we have is global warming in the republicans and until we do something about it, we're all doomed. >> bill: i think we are, too. and i was talking with some reporter friends at the white house yesterday. i don't think -- why is this a partisan issue? >> it shouldn't be. >> bill: isn't the survival of the planet kind of something we all ought to be interested in?
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>> caller: yes. >> bill: what should we do about it, marla? >> caller: well, we have to vote all of the republicans out so barack obama in his second term can do something to help the american people. >> bill: look, the chief obstructionist certainly have been republicans in the congress. but i don't know about the rest of you i'm glad to get your comments at 1-866-55-press. i don't want to let the obama campaign off the hook or the obama administration off the hook entirely on this because let's just be honest. president obama has not made this a priority. he does not talk about it. he is not called or certainly pushed very hard for legislation. he has not made it a priority as i said. and he promised that he would. and now with all of this building evidence and growing evidence it seems to me -- remember the beer summit. they said it was a teachable moment. this is a teachable moment on the issue of global warming when
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you see what's happening to this country. i think it is a time that you could bring in the farmers and you know, the cattlemen and the sheep ranchers and the pig farmers and the environmentalists, you could get everybody together and saying this is not just an environmental issue. this is an economic issue and it is an economic issue. our economy is going to be destroyed if this drought -- conditions like this and the severe impacts of global warming continue. we have to do something. now is the time to at least be talking about it. disappointed. tom vilsack didn't take that opportunity yesterday. 1-866-55-press. here on the "full court press." >> announcer: this is the "bill press show" live on your radio and current tv.
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>> i get on my knees every day and i'm saying an extra prayer now. if i had a rain dance i could do, i would do it. >> announcer: heard around the country and seen on current tv, this is the "bill press show." >> bill: i'm glad the secretary is saying his prayers. i wouldn't mind seeing him do a rain dance but i really, really would like to have him acknowledge the fact that there are some signs of global warming is already taking place and we ought to be doing something about it. your calls at 1-866-55-press. you heard me talk about identity theft protection before. i saw this story the other day about a janitor who had been
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network does not cover all transactions and the scope may vary. global warming definitely, definitely. we're seeing signs of it with this drought. why won't the administration talk about it? why didn't tom vilsack talk about it? darryl is calling from chicago. >> caller: hi, bill. i think the way the country is now with the republicans really having the minds of probably like more than half the people on this, global warming to do something about it, it is going to cost money short-term and most people do not want to hear about it. as stupid as that is, they just don't see any connection. it is obvious. when you keep throwing garbage into the air into the water yes, it should have an effect but people, if it is going to cost something now, they would rather close their eyes to it and figure that -- don't do
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anything and god's going to take care of it. this is the way it always is. >> bill: darryl, it is costing something now in the sense that -- destroying the corn crop, the soybean crop as well as other crops not to mention the damage that this is going to do to livestock particularly dairy -- the dairy farms right? and prices at the supermarket. so we're already talking about consumers paying a price because -- and look at the properties that are going to be underwater now and people not be able to enjoy their homes or hotels or businesses. see what i mean? i think the administration can make a case to save money, we've got to act. >> it is logical to you and logical to me except that most people right now they just don't see it. the only way things are going to change is if they get what you just said, if the republican leadership, have those people,
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the tea party people and stuff like that, started talking about it, then they would believe it. until there is just the case of just disaster after disaster, they're just not going to accept it and at this point it is really about the election. and what would happen is the democrats would lose even more seats. >> bill: i hear ya, darryl. i disagree. i'm not going to wait until jim inhoff becomes a believer in global warming to do anything about it. or to say anything about it. by that time, there won't be any planet left. jim is up in medford massachusetts. hello, jim. >> caller: good morning, bill. thanks for taking my call. we're in a tough spot. dammed if we do, dammed if we don't. >> bill: i think that's right. so let's do. >> caller: the republicans jockey for position perfectly on this whole thing including the economy, everything. back in '08, we were in control
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democrats. we should have made all of these decisions. we should have voted on all of the bills including healthcare but guess what, if we acted on healthcare in '08 what the heck is wrong with these people when the economy is in such a shamble. the same thing with global warming. why are you focusing on something other than the economy? what's the matter with it? >> bill: it is the economy. there is nothing more central to the economy than global warming. >> caller: you and are parked in the same garage on this. i understand. they'll turn it around. every corner you turn, it is like we're at fault. we didn't create this. >> bill: i hear you jim. we've gotta be better at them than getting the message throughout and on this one i think we can. if you're talking about higher price of milk, higher price of butter and baby food, higher price of god knows you go down to the supermarket everything is made with corn syrup these days. just list it out, all of the things people will be paying
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more for if we don't do something about climate change. pat is in wisconsin. hey, pat how are you? >> caller: hey, we had an inch of rain last night. first rain in six weeks. but here's the thing. the department of agriculture is involved with corporate farming. montesano owns the right to every seed. you can't plant unless you plant montesano seed. on top of that, we'll bail the corporate farms out with all of the ag bills. they don't care about anything but profit! >> bill: you know, pat i think you're on to something. i never thought about that when tom vilsack was talking about the seed companies yesterday. i mean, to me, i don't want to be a -- you know, i don't know, totally -- i'm not anti-science. but the idea that the answer to global warming is to develop better seeds so that we can still grow crops when the ground is parched i don't think that's the answer.
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somehow just not going to go there but i will go to our parting shot when we come back here on the "full court press." >> announcer: this is the "bill press show." every day, an average of 5,000 people switch from cascade to finish dishwasher detergent. that's about 150,000 a month,
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brought to you by expedia. find your voice. [ ♪ theme ♪ ] >> announcer: the parting shot with bill press. this is the "bill press show." >> bill: hey and on this thursday july 19, first of all, a happy birthday to courtney ford, our full time producer out in los angeles. on the "full court press." happy birthday, courtney. my parting shot for today, most of us weren't around during the scary days of the house a-- or the witch-hunts conducted by
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joseph mccarthy but we've read about those frightening times where people lost their jobs, careers destroyed because of unsubstantiated accusations. we never thought those times would come back. they're back now with michele bachmann who says that four different government agencies are infiltrated by people sympathetic to the terrorist organization, the muslim brotherhood. well you know, yesterday, good for john mccain who went on the floor of the senate and denounced michele bachmann and said those kind of attacks have to stop. i can only hope other republicans will do so and then in the end, michele bachmann, like joe mccarthy, will be forced to resign from congress and leave congress in disgrace for attacks like that. that's my parting shot for today, folks. john larson, the congressman from connecticut will be with us tomorrow and eric burns from bullfight strategies in as a "friend of bill." go out and have a great day and come on back and see us right here again tomorrow.
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